OPINION: In singling out federal programs for the deepest cuts during the haggling over raising the debt ceiling, the GOP is tapping into the myth that those who rely on public assistance are undeserving and can’t be trusted to receive government benefits.
” who drew checks from multiple agencies and spent the money on luxury food and drink. Democrats recoiled from the characterization, rightly so, this was belittling lower income people, who were the Democrats’ base.
“They’re playing to a common misconception that ‘welfare’ goes mostly to people who are lazy… for the most part, it’s a myth,” says Pitney, citing another myth underlying the Republican position “that you can make massive cuts in federal spending without hurting anyone because it’s all waste, fraud, and abuse,” a phrase popularized by Reagan.
It’s easy for politicians in Washington to say people should pick up another shift when they have no idea how complicated that is for jobs that don’t pay enough to get off food stamps. Reagan famously said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help.” He set the tone for a Republican Party to clothe a miserly attitude toward the poor and downtrodden with lofty rhetoric about personal responsibility and individuality.
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